2012 Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4

Delivering a staggering 2.7-second 0–60 time and a quarter-mile clocking of 10.4 sec. at a terminal speed of 136 mph.

There are some moments in life that just can't be put into words: the birth of your first child, for example, or an artist's last stroke on a masterpiece. There are rare opportunities like that behind the wheel too­—those transcendental moments when the line between yourself and the car disappears, when you're completely at one with the machine and an empty track beckons. It happened with me on the "heel" of Italy, as I was testing Lamborghini's newest flagship supercar, the Aventador (pronounced ah-ven-tah-door) LP700-4 on the Pista di prova di Nardò della Fiat track.

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2012 Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4

The agenda was simple: I'd test the Aventador's track credentials on the fast interior road course, and afterward conduct our stand­ard suite of performance tests. The next day we'd be on public roads for photography and driving impressions.

It was all regimented stuff. So then, how did I find myself hurtling toward Turn 1 at 285 km/h, just moments after flipping the starter cover open and firing this thing up?

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2012 Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4

Before I answer that, let's talk about the car. Compared to Lamborghini's previous alpha-male supercar, the Murciélago, the Aventador is faster, more refined and has a more cohesive design. It feels lighter, is more nimble and is genuinely easier to drive. That does not mean the Aventador lacks the sort of extreme performance that makes a Lambo a Lambo. Shockingly, unlike traditional Lamborghini convention, the Aventador was not actually made to go fast; it's almost as if its speed and agility are glorious byproducts of its clean sheet design, one that results in a staggering 2.7-second 0–60 time and a quarter-mile clocking of 10.4 sec. at a terminal speed of 136 mph.

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2012 Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4

At its core, a 1-piece carbon-fiber passenger cell ensures optimum strength with, at just 324.5 lb., minimal weight. Attached to the front and rear of the monocoque are aluminum subframes that support the suspension and powertrain. A combination of carbon fiber, carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic and aluminum bodywork covers the chassis. All-up weight of the Aventador's body-in-white is a scant 504.9 lb. And with a Formula 1-esque torsional rigidity figure of 25,815 lb.-ft. per degree, it gives the suspension an extremely stiff platform for attachment.

2012 Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4

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And just like an F1 car, the Aventador utilizes a pushrod suspension system. Lamborghini touts the setup's packaging and weight benefits—with the damper "inside" the chassis, there's much less unsprung weight; just the aluminum control arms, brakes, spindles and wheel assembly. On the track, this system, which employs Öhlins dampers, provides for a high level of suspension refinement and fidelity. It always feels like it has an extra inch of travel, and is ready to absorb whatever chassis-upsetting bounce might be coming your way. This was comforting as I put the squeeze on all four carbon-ceramic discs and turned the steering wheel to negotiate one of the Nardò Ring's many blind corners. The car corners and brakes supremely flat. And even with the Aventador's 3795-lb. curb weight (a little over 100 lb. heavier than the Murciélago LP670-4 SuperVeloce), its suspension easily shrugs off track imperfections and the odd curbing hit. Combined with its surprisingly playful and quick-revving V-12, the Aventador really does feel more like a Gallardo replacement than a new Murciélago.

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2012 Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4

And just like the Gallardo and the Murciélago, whether you're paddling through the gears at track or pedestrian speeds, you always know that there's a single-clutch automated manual transmission immediately behind you. For those who have never driven such a system, the one thing you must know before driving off is that timing is every­thing. Although it's an automated system, it's not completely automatic. You must breathe off the throttle between shifts, as if you're rowing through a standard H-pattern gearbox, or else face whiplashing your head against the back of the ultra-supportive seats.

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2012 Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4

It's mostly the same in the Aventador. But once you get the 691-bhp 6.5-liter V-12 to 6000 rpm and you're at wide-open throttle, or any throttle position greater than 80 percent, the transmission goes into berserk mode and every upshift is lightning-fast and sledgehammer-strike hard. While this may seem crazy in the age of seamless-shift double-clutch transmissions, Lamborghini feels that buyers of this car would rather have a more authentic race-car experience. As I made my way around the track and tried to make the car lose its composure, I was met with little chassis wiggles on upshifts, but nothing more. This automated gearbox from Hell isn't bad on the track; in fact, it's downright exhilarating.

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2012 Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4

It's not so good for stop-and-go traffic, however, as doing the throttle-breathing trick between shifts gets a little tiresome. And that's with the Aventador's variable drive-mode function set to the softest calibration.

Like the Murciélago, there are three drive mode settings (Strada, Sport and Corsa) that dictate three separate parameters: shift aggressiveness, steering effort and, unlike the Murciélago, all-wheel-drive character. In Strada mode, the Haldex IV all-wheel-drive system is tuned for mild understeer, has the lightest steering effort and the "smoothest" shifts (relative, of course). Power distribution is more rear-biased in Sport, with an increase in steering weight and quickening of shifts. In Corsa, the Haldex is set up for maximum performance, which means quickest power transfer, the heaviest steering feel and most aggressive shift strategy. Take a hairpin turn in this mode and you'll feel the front wheels pull you through the corner. The Murciélago, on the other hand, had a simpler fixed ratio system that worked fine on the track, but didn't offer the flexibility or safety for all driving scenarios. Aside from slow, tight corners, the all-wheel-drive system is nearly invisible, and it allows for obscenely high drift angles.

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2012 Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4

When you're on a track, though, you may want to fully defeat the stability control. Even in Corsa mode, the stability control intervenes just a touch too early. Having said that, you can still drive the car ridiculously fast with it on. With practice, you can push the Aventador to just under the intervention limit and have a great time. Or you can fully disable it and potentially wad up your $400,000 supercar. Anyway, much like every aspect of the car, ESC intervention is not subtle. When you creep up to the threshold and put a toe over the line, the brakes do an admirable job. While abrupt, the ESC doesn't upset this seemingly unflappable beast. It's also a smart system, which means the electronic brake-distribution system will apply brakes to the inside wheels, creating a type of brake-based torque-vectoring system. This setup is tricky to integrate into an all-wheel-drive car, and I'm pleased to report it works well.

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2012 Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4

Once you turn the wheel, the car has an extremely mild understeer, but even still, it'll easily pull over 1g of lateral acceleration. Ease off the throttle to tighten your line, or, if you're feeling adventurous, throw it into the corner a little harder. As big as it is, the Aventador is extremely playful and responds instantaneously to all its controls. Just be aware that everything happens extremely quickly, and that grin from the previous corner could turn into a frown just as fast as its 0–60 time.

2012 Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4

On the street, the Aventador feels big and ungainly. Perhaps this has more to do with the ridiculously narrow roads in this part of Italy. Once I got on a proper stretch of autostrada, though, I could truly appreciate the civility of the car. It's loud, but not too loud. Our European-spec test car was not equipped with park assist or nose lift. These two features would've helped immensely.

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2012 Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4

Also in short supply is subtlety; in fact, the Aventador has absolutely none thanks to its stealth-fighter styling, the 3000-rpm rev spike on start-up and those trademark Lambo doors. It's the stuff of dreams.

2012 Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4

Which leads back to my transcendental moment of bliss. This car is not about the numbers, which are phenomenal. Rather, as a mid-engine Lambo, it carries on the spirit of the Miura, Countach, Diablo and Murciélago, and it does so in a very 21st century way. And nowhere was this more apparent than going full bore into Nardo's double-apex Turn 1, downshifting and trail-braking from 6th to 2nd, and knowing precisely what all four wheels were doing at all times. Even with all this technology, Lamborghini has never lost its passion.

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